Broken Angel
by SVUCSIWTRDOOLluver
Summary: E/C story, Christine goes to Erik on her wedding night, as she knows she's still in love with him. She fears what Raoul will do to Erik if she stays with him, so she marries Raoul the next day. Years later, a shocking revelation shakes the family up and Christine goes to the only person she can truly trust now: Erik. Chapter 8 is up, story is now complete!
1. Goodbye Christine

Chapter 1 of my very first Phantom of the Opera fic! There's lyrics from two songs in here, not from the movie, the first one is "Keep You" by Sugarland and "Please Remember Me" by Tim McGraw. Enjoy!

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Christine was completely torn with indecision. It was the eve of her wedding day, and her thoughts strayed to the Angel of Music, just like they always did. She eventually made her mind up, that he deserved one night, as he couldn't have her for the rest of them. Carefully she snuck out around midnight, not disturbing anyone, save Meg, who was awakened by Christine's light footsteps. Meg knew instantly where her friend was going; they had known each other long enough for that. She didn't breathe a word, instead plotted in her mind how to cover for Christine if she didn't make it back before the others noticed her absence. Christine, meanwhile, had arrived at the stables and harnessed her horse, Belle. It had been an anonymous gift, but she knew, somehow, that it had been the Phantom, the Angel of Music. She turned Belle in the direction of the dilapidated opera house, where she took a wild guess as to where he still lived. Quietly she slipped off of Belle, tying her carefully to a pole so she wouldn't run off and leave her stranded. Christine hesitated at the entrance, but a feeling of being where she belonged stole over her, and she took determined steps into the abandoned opera house.

Reverently she made her way to her room, her old room, where the mirror still stood against the wall. With gentle hands she pulled the mirror back, finding the same corridor hiding behind it. She took one step in, and candles flared everywhere. Instead of startling her, the sudden light calmed her, and she wasn't frightened anymore. It was almost like her first time walking those halls, winding everywhere and leading to the water, where the boat was, as it seemed, waiting for her. Christine stepped into the boat and pulled herself across the water until she reached the shore of the Phantom's alcove under the opera house. Her head swiveled slowly as she took in the sight of the place she hadn't seen in years. A man dressed in black was seated at the bench, playing soft and gentle notes from the piano. The notes morphed into a song, a song that she knew, and had a feeling that he knew it too. Lightly Christine stepped to the ground and began singing,

"_It's a bittersweet, victory, loving the ghost in front of me,"_

The man, whom Christine knew to be the Phantom, turned his head sharply around to face her, but his hands still played the song as he joined in, _"Now I, can't laugh, can't cry, and I can't run, can't hide. What do I gotta do, what do I gotta do to keep you, what do I gotta do to keep you, from doing this to me,"_

His hands slowed until the last strains floated away into nothingness. The Phantom stood up, radiating power and control in every move, his eyes boring into Christine's. She took a step towards him, but he dared not move, less she disappeared, like a dream. "Why are you here?" He asked roughly, and Christine gently replied,

"Because I love you too," The reference to the last few words the Phantom had spoken to her was not lost on him, nor was it lost on her. In response, he closed the distance between them in a matter of moments. He stood, inches away from her and said slowly,

"You're mine," They came out, almost as a question, and he spotted the answer in her eyes, cloudy with emotion but easy to read. "If only 'til the morn," He added softly, his hand rising from his side and resting on her cheek. Her eyes closed for a moment and he instantly swept her up into his arms, his mouth descending hungrily onto hers.

--

Christine awoke alone, like so many years before. Slowly she climbed out of his bed, fumbling for her dress and then pulling it on. She didn't bother with anything else, save her shoes, which she hastily slipped on. Her hurry was based on the fear that he had left her like she had left him. That fear was resolved the moment she heard soft notes coming from the piano, playing a different song than the night before. His voice drifted to her ears, slow and tortured,

"_Remember me when you're out walking, when the sun falls high outside your door, late at night when you're not sleeping, and moonlight falls across your floor,"_

By this time Christine had made her way over to the piano, standing right behind him, and she carefully placed her hands on his back as he looked up at her. Slowly he sang, _"And I can't hurt you anymore," _ She smiled softly at him, pain in every feature, but encouraged him to keep the music playing. Their voices joined together in perfect harmony with the chorus,

"_You'll find better love, strong as it ever was, deep as the river runs, warm as the morning sun. Please, remember me. Please, remember me."_

The notes floated away as he looked into her eyes, seeing the mirrored hurt and agony that she was seeing reflected in his eyes. "They'll be searching for you soon, it's past dawn," He said quietly, breaking their shared gaze.

"What if I don't care?" She questioned, fluidly sitting down next to him. He turned his face away from her, but she reached out and placed her hands on his face, turning him back to face her. His mask was replaced, a new one. He no longer cared if Christine saw his face, as she had been subjected to the horror before, but he didn't care to have others stare at him or run away in fear.

"But you do," He replied knowingly, and Christine knew he was right. "And I will escort you back you," Her eyes turned tender at his words, and a smile graced her face.

"I would like that," She murmured, and the Phantom grasped her hands with his own, kissing them gently before rising, taking him with her. In a swift movement, he gently tugged her into his arms, one hand on her head, the other on her back. She relaxed in his embrace for a brief moment, and then found herself standing back in the entrance. The trip back up had mostly been drinking in his appearance, never wanting to forget it as long as she lived. When they had reached the entrance, Christine saw that the Phantom was indeed right; it was past dawn, nearly 7 o'clock. The wedding preparations would begin soon, and she had to hurry back. The couple faced each other, and the Phantom sensed there was a question lurking in Christine's mine.

"What is your name?" She suddenly asked gently, and he smiled, taking her hand and pressing his lips to it, murmuring,

"Erik."

He dropped her hand, and motioned to her restless horse. Belle seemed to recognize the Phantom, but as Erik. She whinnied and tossed her mane a few times in greeting. Erik raised his hand and offered a smile to the palomino, who whinnied again and pranced, obviously waiting for Christine. She had been staring at Erik throughout his exchange with Belle, and stepped up to him, pressing her lips to his for one last glorious kiss. It was Erik who broke the kiss, and stepped back. Christine walked almost unsteadily to her horse, but mounted smoothly. She untied Belle and turned around to see Erik still standing there.

"I would like to have at least one dance with you tonight," She said sincerely, and Erik simply smiled, knowing her new husband would try to have him killed. He also knew Christine wouldn't stand for that. Instead of answering, he raised his hand in farewell and merely said,

"Goodbye, Christine."

--

End of the first chapter, more to come! The plot is spinning in my mind, and it might be a little OOC for some of you readers, I'm not sure, as I've only seen the movie once, but watched millions of videos online. Thanks so much for reading, and please, if I've written something that you think needs to be fixed, tell me!!! Adios for now!


	2. Music Of The Dance

Chapter 2 is up!!! This chapter is Christine's wedding to Raoul, and, as per request, the Phantom (AKA Erik) makes a guest appearance! Too bad Raoul doesn't realize Erik has changed, and he's not going to try to take Christine away… Enjoy!

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"Christine you're so beautiful," Meg sang sweetly as she walked into her best friend's bridal room. Christine turned in a billow of white and smiled at Meg, replying,

"So are you, my maid of honor,"

"I was sent to get you, it's almost time to start," Meg said, laying her hand on Christine's arm, smoothing the wrinkles out of her dress with a light touch.

"All right. I'll be out in a moment." Christine replied with a half-happy half-sad sigh. Meg knew she was wishing the Phantom could be there, but Meg also knew that Raoul would never allow that.

Meg silently slipped out of the bridal room, and Christine took one final spin in front of the mirror, and almost imagined Erik's face, in the mirror, and then she tore her gaze away from her reflection and the imaginary reflection of Erik.

Christine and Meg lined up at the entrance to the church, and Christine raised her eyes up to the heavens, closing them and wishing her father was standing right beside her, escorting her down the aisle to her Raoul. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and Meg was gazing her, waiting for her nod to start. Christine did nod, and Meg started down the aisle. Christine waited a few beats, and then followed, her eyes locking on Raoul's. A small part of her heart twinged, wishing that it was Erik standing there, but the other part loved Raoul with ever fiber of her being. She knew she was choosing the right thing for her and her future children.

Determinedly and gracefully she glided down the aisle, her gaze subtly sweeping every face in the audience, telling herself that she just wanted to know who was there, but in her subconscious, she knew the truth. Her eyes searched for the masked face of Erik, which she didn't find.

Eventually she made her way to Raoul, and grasped his hands, looking into his eyes which shone with love, and she knew her eyes reflected the same love. This marriage was not a mistake, as she had thought the night before, lying in Erik's arms. It felt right, and it was right.

As the minister began the proceedings, no one noticed a dark figure slip into a seat in the back, in the shadows. The figure was Erik, who was silently cursing himself for not being able to ignore the woman in white's request. He knew that if Raoul saw him, he'd try to murder him on the spot. So, he'd just have to make sure he was not seen.

The ceremony went on beautifully, but when the minister asked for objections, Erik forced himself to remain sitting, and keep his mouth tightly closed. Christine deserved happiness, a good life, and that's something she could not get if she had stayed with him. Raoul could give her that, and children as well. Erik had been abhorred to the idea of having children with anyone, as he held onto a desperate fear that one or more of his children would be cursed with the face that he was cursed with. Erik's thoughts were snapped back to the ceremony as it concluded, rings were exchanged, and Christine was pronounced the Vicomtess of Chagny. Raoul started escorting Christine back down the aisle, both of them beaming with happiness. Erik allowed himself one long look at Christine's happy face, and then he quickly ducked out of the chapel. Had he remained a moment longer, Raoul would've seen him, and all hell would have broken loose.

As Erik walked the streets of France, he felt the old rage, the old possessiveness he thought he had abolished, start to consume him again. Desperate to not let that rage take him over and rule his thoughts and actions, he staggered to the opera house. Blindly he made his way to Christine's old room and grabbed a candelabrum. With an agonizing yell he swung the candelabrum and smashed the mirror as he sang, "I must get it through my head! She will never, be mine! I must get it through my head!"

The one-way mirror was now gone, bits and pieces of what remained of it lay on the floor. Carefully Erik slid to the ground, singing softly, "They say if you love someone, you must let them go, only when I do, I know she won't come back," A single tear slid down his cheek as he got to his feet, roughly wiping it away and adding, "But if she is happy, then that's all I need in return,"

He fastened his cape around his shoulders, reminding himself that he had a request to honor. With a sweep of his cape (a favorite pastime of his) he was out the door and on his way to the hall where Christine and Raoul's reception was being held. As Erik drew closer on his horse, laughter and music filled his ears. A faint smile crossed his masked face as he heard the faint strains of "Masquerade".

Erik stepped into the hall, his head swiveling in every direction until he spotted Christine standing on the dance floor with her friends, laughing and trying to dance. Raoul started walking to her as the beginning of "Music of the Night" began to play, but Christine had spotted Erik, and started walking towards him. Her smile turned inviting, asking him to come dance with her, and then turned her head, looking at Raoul. A quick shake of her head stopped him in his tracks. His eyes clouded with confusion, then he followed Christine's gaze and spotted the Phantom walking slowly towards his wife.

"Will you not leave us alone!?" Raoul demanded, leaping to stand in front of Christine, his arms going behind him to protect her.

"Raoul I invited him!" Christine exclaimed, ducking out of Raoul's protective arms and backed away from him slowly, towards the Phantom. "I just want one dance with him, Raoul. He deserves that at least," Christine sang soothingly, and Raoul spat,

"He deserves a sword through the heart, if he even has one."

At this, Erik intervened, singing quietly, "If I do harm her, you may run your sword through me, and I will welcome it. I'm not here to hurt either of you, or take her away. She deserves the life you can give her, and after tonight, I'm leaving France, going far away. You will never see me again,"

Raoul narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, but heard the truthfulness in his voice. Maybe everyone could change, including the Phantom. He quickly discarded that idea, for the Phantom, with his dark past, could not change, not for the better. As Christine instructed the Maestro to return to the beginning of "Music of the Night", Raoul stepped away, disappearing, though no one noticed.

Erik held out his hand to Christine, and she grasped it, walking closer to him as he rested his other hand on her waist, and she on his shoulder. Slowly they began to sway to the music, adding a twirl there or a spin here. Erik sang, "Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor,"

"Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender," Christine sang back,

"Turn your face away from the garish light of day," Erik sang as he dipped Christine,

"Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light," Christine sang in reply, and Erik joined her in singing,

"And listen to the music of the night,"

The song continued, and when the last strains faded away and the pair dancing slowed to a stop, still in each other's arms. Erik stepped back, and Christine's eyes, which had been happy in one moment, suddenly clouded with horror and fear. She shouted, "Raoul, no!" Erik started to turn around, but a noose slipped around his neck and was pulled tight, constricting his breathing.

"How about a taste of your own medicine instead of a sword, huh?" Raoul hissed in his ear, seeing red from the fact that his wife of only a few hours was in another man's arms, a man who still loved her, and who still had part of his wife's heart. That made a man desperate, and desperate was what Raoul was now.

And no matter what, a desperate man does what he believes he has to do. Erik knew that well enough, from his days lurking in the underground lairs of the opera house. Raoul could easily kill him, and he wasn't sure whether to thank him, or curse him for it.

--

Duuuuun, dun dun dun dun dun….okay I'm done with that, I promise! Sorry! I hope you liked this chapter, and like I said before, please please please tell me if I'm writing something weird. Only seen this movie once, not sure if I have the characters down right. Maybe I'm just a worrier, but still, thank you so much for reading! Adios for now!


	3. MY Baby!

Chapter 3 is up!!! Here we discover if Raoul kills Erik, or if he listens to Christine's reason. Enjoy!!!

Strangled noises came from Erik's throat, and Christine hurried to Raoul's side, grabbing onto his hands and yanking desperately, trying to free Erik from the noose, and saying, "Raoul, STOP! Let him go!"

"He will never leave us alone, why can't you see that?" Raoul sang angrily, tightening the noose.

Christine, unable to force Raoul to release his grip, knelt down in front of Erik, who was turning purple and grabbed onto the noose, trying to loosen it somehow, singing back desperately, "If you kill him, you are not better than he was, down in his lair. He has changed, and so have you. You have switched places, and I'll say the same thing to you as I did to him,"

Raoul locked his eyes on Christine's, and she sang slowly, "Raoul, you deceived me,"

Slowly, Raoul let the noose go, and Christine yanked it off Erik's head as he opened his mouth and took in a deep, vital breath of air. Gasping and choking, Erik fell forward onto his hands, struggling to get his breath back. "Will you be okay?" Christine sang to him softly, her hands clutching his arm.

Instead of replying, he carefully rose, refusing to lean on Christine for support as he stood up to his full height. Erik faced Raoul, who had a look on his face like he was sorry, but also ready for battle, ready to fight to the death.

"I wasn't lying, when I said I would leave," Erik said quietly, and when Raoul's eyes widened in shock, he turned to Christine and took the hands clutching his arm with his own, and gently kissed them before letting go.

"Goodbye, Erik," She sang in response, and stepped back, knowing the action would please Raoul.

"I wish a happy life, for you both," Erik said, looking straight at Raoul. He grabbed his cape, and was preparing to leave when Christine, who had been staring daggers at Raoul, jerked her head towards Erik.

Raoul held his hand out to Erik, saying, "I am sorry, for my overreaction. It wasn't warranted, I see that now."

"We can both be sorry. I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you in the past. I've learned better since then."

A truce of silent understanding passed between the two men, and with a whish of his cape, Erik was gone. Christine deliberately turned her back on Raoul, who followed her and took a hold of her arm, turning her back to face him. She yanked her arm out of his grasp and kept walking away.

"Christine, I overreacted, please try to forgive me," Raoul pleaded tenderly, stepping towards her.

She glared at him, and then stepped out of the room, hoping no one saw the tears glittering in her eyes. At that moment, when Raoul had that crazy look in his eyes, she knew, truly knew, that the positions had been switched. Literally. Christine was now certain she loved Erik, but that she would never see him again.

"Well, at least I have one night," She whispered, and fought to keep her composure. Christine knew Meg and her mother were going to America with Erik, and she planned on adding a note for Erik with every letter she sent to Meg.

And even Raoul couldn't stop her.

It had been quite a few years since Erik and Christine had danced together, 15 years to be exact. Raoul and Christine had three children now, a 12 year old boy named Alexander, a 9 year old girl named Rebecca, and a 6 year old boy named Marcus. They were a happy family, but that all changed when Raoul got a call from someone he said was from America.

"George? Long time no see, old friend…who? I thought that priest was…he didn't?! Oh dear Lord," Raoul lowered his voice, and said, "Where? New York? I'll take care of it…personally this time." He straightened up and said, "Vacation? Sounds great, I'll clear it with my family…all right, bye." Raoul hung up, and said,

"How would you all like to go on vacation to New York?"

"In America?" Becca questioned, and Raoul ruffled her hair, saying,

"Yes!"

"Let's go!" The three children cried out, and Raoul chuckled as he went to the phone to book the flight. Christine pondered the meaning of his strange phone call, and believed that she would ask him on the flight to New York. Knowing Raoul, that would probably be within the next few days.

And she was right. The de Chagny family left France three days after that strange phone call, and while the children played card games, Christine sat across from Raoul and said, "What on earth was up with that phone call you took a few days ago?"

"Which one?" Raoul said innocently, and Christine narrowed her eyes.

"You know which one."

"Oh that, it was nothing." He brushed it off, but Christine was persistent.

"Nothing? What priest? What didn't he do? Who were you talking about? And what are you taking care of personally?"

Raoul's eyes hardened, and he grabbed her arm, saying, "You want to open this can of worms? You won't like what comes out." He let go and sat back.

"I don't care. Tell me." Christine demanded, and Raoul growled,

"It's about you having an affair, right before our marriage."

Shock crossed Christine's face. How had he known? "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you were pregnant, immediately after our honeymoon. We were so excited, but then you caught the scarlet fever on the 7th month. You were in the hospital for a few months before you gave birth, to a devil-child." Raoul spat.

"You lie," Christine breathed, not remembering a single bit of that whole story.

"I wonder why," Raoul mocked, and then said stiffly, "You had the damn fever, Christine, that whole time was wiped from your memory,"

Christine blinked, and said slowly, "If I gave birth, where is my baby?"

"What could I do? The thing had green eyes, Christine! It was obviously that, that man's child, and I wasn't about to raise it."

"So what did you do with my baby?" Christine demanded, her voice growing more and more angry.

"I tossed it to a priest, gave him a thousand bucks to toss it in the river or something. Apparently he had a conscious and kept it alive." Raoul said acidly, and Christine stood up, as the plane had already landed. She slapped him across the face and he caught her arm, bending it and breathing, "And now, I'm going to take care of that little problem. Then we can live our lives out together in harmony,"

"Let go of me, Raoul," Christine whimpered, feeling the bone bend, ready to snap. He released her, and then strode from the plane. "I have to save my baby," Christine whispered, quickly getting her wits together and shepherding the children outside to a car, which took them to Madame Giry's house.

End of another chapter! I hope you liked this one, and will Christine save her baby before Raoul 'takes care of that little problem'? Or will she need help…from possibly the baby's father? Thanks so much for reading, and adios for now!


	4. Reunion

**Chapter 4 is up! I hadn't realized that I never finished posting this story, so I will definitely get right on that! This is where Christine goes to beg for Madame Giry's help in finding her baby, while Raoul is on a hunt of his own for the same child, only he has murderous intentions.**

**Enjoy!**

"Where are we going, Mama?" Marcus asked as they all sat in the car. Christine pulled out the last letter she had received from Madame Giry and gave the address to the driver.

"I'm going to visit an old friend of mine," Christine told her children, and Alexander questioned,

"Meg Giry and her mother?"

"Well, Meg is married now, she doesn't live with her mother, but yes we're going to visit Madame Giry," Christine said, smoothing Rebecca's hair down. She gazed at all of their eyes that she knew so well.

Alexander's were dark brown, just like hers, and so were Rebecca's. Marcus was the one that had Raoul's blue eyes.

"Where did Father go?" Rebecca piped up, and Christine faked a smile.

"He went off to check us into the hotel and meet some business partners of his,"

Just then, the car pulled up to the address. Christine got out, holding Marcus's hand. They all walked up to the door and Christine knocked.

The door was opened and Christine was shocked to see her old friend Meg standing there. "Christine? Is that you?" Meg exclaimed, pulling her friend into a hug.

"Yes, it's me! Oh, Meg, I haven't seen you in years," Christine sighed, holding her friend tightly.

"Come in, come in," Meg implored, pulling the door open wider. Christine led the children inside and Meg looked at all of them.

"This is Alexander, my oldest,"

"I'm 12," Alexander said proudly, and Meg shook his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Alexander,"

"This is Rebecca, she's 9," Christine said, and as Meg shook her hand Rebecca added,

"Nine and three quarters!"

"And this is Marcus, he's my youngest, he's 6," Christine said finally, and as Meg was shaking Marcus's hand, Madame Giry came into the hallway.

"Christine!" She exclaimed loudly, hugging the younger woman tightly. "How have you been?"

"I've been great, and you?"

"Great, just great," Madame Giry said, again speaking far too loudly. Christine thought it was odd, but then remember that 15 years had passed, the older woman might be getting hard of hearing.

"You're just in time, Christine," Meg started to say, but Madame Giry interrupted her.

"We were just going to have some tea and cake, would you children like some?"

"Yes please!" Rebecca said with a grin, and Madame Giry led them into the kitchen. Christine looked at her with confusion, and Meg shrugged.

"I guess it's been a while since he came to visit, she's a little odd today,"

"Hush Meg!" Madame Giry said, coming back into the hallway.

Christine went pale and her hand went to her chest. "Is he here?"

"She was talking about our neighbor, Mr. Marsden…" Madame Giry babbled, and Christine reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Is he here, Madame Giry?" She stressed, and Madame Giry sighed.

"He has probably left, Christine, and it's for the best if you do not see him,"

"You don't understand, Madame Giry, I have to see him! It's extremely important!" Christine cried out, the terror becoming evident in her eyes.

Madame Giry stared at her for a long moment and then said to Meg, "Go see if he's still here," Shhe nodded and ran off towards the back of the house. Christine and Madame Giry went to settle the children down to their tea and cake, and then Meg came back.

"He's still here," She reported, and Madame Giry nodded. Meg took Christine's hand and pulled her into the back of the house. "He's in there and he's expecting you," Meg told her friend, and then turned and left.

Christine pulled the door open gently and saw her Angel of Music standing there, staring at her. She stared back for a long moment and then she couldn't take it anymore. "Erik," She breathed and took a few steps towards him. Before she knew it, she was wrapped in his arms.

"Christine," He whispered, closing her eyes and breathing in her perfume. It was just like that night, that one perfect night, fifteen years ago.

Suddenly, reality hit him and he pushed her away. "Where's Raoul?"

"I don't know," She said, and she sounded incredibly vulnerable.

"What's happened, Christine?" He asked, seeing the terror in her eyes. "What's happened?" He urged, placing his hands on her shoulders when he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I had scarlet fever about eight, nine months after Raoul and I were married. I nearly died, but after I recovered they realized that I had lost my memory of the past eight, nine months, and it couldn't be recovered."

"What happened in those months?" Erik asked hesitantly, and Christine managed to say,

"I was pregnant. Raoul told me on the way here that I found out I was pregnant after the honeymoon, and then I gave birth to what he called a devil-child. The baby had green eyes, Erik," She let out a sob as Erik processed what she had just told him.

"But you have brown eyes and Raoul has blue…" He said slowly, and then he realized that he had green eyes. "Mine? My child?" Erik said, his eyes widening.

"I'm so sorry, Erik, I never knew, I never suspected, nothing! I was such a fool," Christine sobbed, her head in her hands.

"Why did Raoul wait this long to tell you?"

"Because I asked. He had a phone call before we left, and it sounded suspicious so I asked him about it. He told me that after I gave birth, he gave the baby to a priest friend of his and paid him to throw it in the river,"

"No…" Erik whispered, and Christine shook her head.

"That's what the phone call was about. The priest didn't have the heart to do it, so he gave the baby to someone, and Raoul just found out about it now. That's why we came to New York. He called it a vacation," Christine said, and then stepped away from Erik.

"I know you must hate me, Erik, and I don't blame you at all," She began and Erik immediately stepped closer to her.

"Hate you? Christine, I could never hate you. Nothing can change what I feel for you," He said quietly, and Christine managed a smile.

"I want nothing more to do with Raoul. I saw a side of him in the plane that I have never seen before, and it scares me. He almost broke my arm on the plane," Christine said, and Erik wrapped her in his arms once more.

"I will not let him hurt you," He swore, and Christine rested her head against his chest.

"The reason why I needed to see you is because I need to ask you if you will help me. I can't find our child on my own, I need your help,"

Erik thought for a moment and then came up with a plan. "I know what we will do," He said, and started pacing the floor. "You will go back to your hotel, find Raoul and make up with him, tell him he's right, tell him whatever he needs to hear. Distract him and I will try to find our child, all right?"

"All right," Christine agreed, and then said, "And I'll try to find out the priest's name or anything that will help us find him or her. Dear God, I don't even know if our baby was a boy or a girl," She was in shock, and Erik squeezed her hand.

"You will, Christine, you will. I'll find our baby, I swear to you I will,"

"I believe you," She whispered, and Erik pulled her into his arms. "I'll send any information I found out to Meg, and she'll give it to you," Christine said, and Erik nodded.

"Go, Christine. Tell Raoul whatever he needs to hear,"

"I will. And Erik?" She said as she turned at the door.

"Yes?"

"Nothing can change what I feel for you either," She said quietly, and smiled at him before she slipped through the door and headed back to her children.

Erik leaned against the wall for a moment and closed his eyes. He imagined that in a perfect world, those three kids would be his, and he and Christine would be married, along with their fourth child. "It must be fate," He murmured to himself. He loves Christine, and he knew now that she loves him too. All it would take now would be a miracle.

**End of the fourth chapter! So now that there's a plan, will Christine and Erik be able to get their child back? Will Raoul believe Christine when she goes back to him? All of these questions and more will be answered when I post the next chapter! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this story so far!**


	5. Double Cross

**Chapter 5 is up! This is where Christine takes the children back to the hotel and tries to convince Raoul that she sees his point of view, and she agrees with him. Will she be able to do it? And will Erik have any luck trying to find their missing child?**

**Enjoy!**

Christine herded the children into the car and directed it to the hotel that the entire family was staying at. She opened the door to their room and the kids ran in, seeing Raoul in the hallway.

"Daddy! We went to see Madame Giry and Meg!"

"She's Mrs. Blunt to you three," Christine instructed as she walked inside.

"Sorry Mother," Rebecca apologized, and Christine smiled softly at her.

"Go with your brothers and play, I need to talk to Father,"

Raoul looked at Christine with raised eyebrows as the three children ran off to their shared room. "How is Madame Giry doing?"

"Fine, she was complaining about getting old, but she's doing quite well for her age. Meg is happily married, but they have no children," Christine said, and Raoul nodded.

"Well? Have you had some time to think?"

"Yes I have," Christine said, and Raoul looked at her coolly. "And you're right, Raoul, I know that now. I was overwhelmed and I wasn't thinking clearly on the plane. I did go to him that night, and it was wrong. I know you will probably never forgive me, and I don't blame you," Christine added, and she turned her face away in shame, a few tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Oh Christine," Raoul sighed, tilting her chin back until she was looking at him.

"I'm so sorry, Raoul, I didn't think! You have every right to do whatever you think needs doing, and I will help in whatever way possible. I'm so sorry, Raoul," She whispered, and he smiled softly at her.

"All is forgiven, my darling. Do you really mean that? That you will help me?"

"Of course. I love you, Raoul," Christine said, though she knew she was lying through her teeth.

"I love you too, Christine," He said, and kissed her for a long moment. "I have to go and meet with a business partner. That priest I told you about will be coming by in a few hours, and you greet him, make him feel comfortable. Then I will come back, and you will need to take the children to the park or something, understand?"

"Yes. Make the priest feel at home, and then when you come back I will take the children out of the way," Christine recited, and Raoul looked pleased.

"Yes, exactly. I'll be back soon," He said and kissed her goodbye before going and saying goodbye to the children. When he left the room, Christine ran to the pad of paper and wrote a note out for Meg, and attached one for Erik. She asked the bellhop to make sure it was delivered, and after she tipped him he agreed. Christine was afraid to go through the front desk in case Raoul checked and found out she was double-crossing him.

Then she set to work baking some little cakes and making some tea for when the priest arrived. As she worked and kept an eye on her children, Erik was receiving the message.

He swept down to the hotel and hid in the shadows, waiting and watching for the priest to show up. When he finally did, Erik recognized him immediately. It was Father Marx, a well-known priest in New York. Erik immediately headed to the shady alleys that he knew so well, and began discreetly asking about Father Marx.

Finally he found an old street rat that remembered when Father Marx first came to New York. "Yeah, he was a fine old fellow, and he had this baby with him,"

"A baby?" Erik murmured, pretending to be surprised and uncaring.

"Yea, a little baby girl. There was rumors that he saved the poor child from death or something. Anyway, he didn't keep the kid for long."

"What did he do with it?" Someone else asked, and Erik was glad that he hadn't had to. He didn't want to look too anxious about this child.

"I think he gave it to this traveling gypsy group, they promised the baby a good life, learning tricks and traveling the country," The street rat said, and then began a long tale about when he worked on a traveling gypsy circus.

Erik made it out of the alley, and then he fell to his knees. His child, his own blood, being tortured and God knows what else at the hands of those horrible gypsies that had done unspeakable things to him? And then he had done unspeakable things to them? He couldn't believe that his child was going through the same hell that he was forced to go through.

And then another horrifying thought struck him: what if Raoul had known the child was Erik's because of his or her face? What if they had inherited the terrible face that Erik had?

That was the main reason why he swore he would never marry, never have children. He couldn't risk passing his genes onto another human being, and he swore he would never do that.

There was only one good thing that Erik had discovered, and that was the fact that he and Christine had a baby girl out there. She was about 15 by now, but still, a little baby girl. Erik was still in awe as he made his way back to Madame Giry's.

When he slipped inside, he found Christine in his room. She ran to him and grabbed his hands. "I fooled Raoul. He believes I am completely on his side, though I had to lie through my teeth to him,"

"That doesn't matter now. The priest?" Erik asked, and Christine said breathlessly,

"I didn't question him, I didn't want to arouse Raoul's suspicion, but as I was bringing the children out I overheard Raoul yelling about a Rainbow Family, some kind of circus I think,"

Erik nodded slowly, and Christine squeezed his hands. "What have you discovered?" She questioned, and he replied,

"I found an old street rat that remembered when Father Marx first came to New York, and he had a baby girl with him,"

"A girl?" Christine said quietly, covering her mouth with one of her hands.

"Yes, a beautiful baby girl," Erik said huskily, and Christine wrapped her arms around his waist.

"What else?"

"That he gave her to a gypsy traveling circus,"

"It must be the Rainbow Family Circus!" Christine said excitedly, and Erik stepped away from her, walking over to the wall and resting his forehead against it.

"I am afraid, Christine," He whispered, and she came over to him and touched his arm.

"Why, Erik?"

"Because I was tortured for years at the hands of a gypsy traveling circus before Madame Giry, as a young lady, rescued me," Erik snapped, and Christine recoiled as if he had slapped her. "And what if she has inherited my face? What then? What if that's the reason Raoul had her tossed away? I swore I would never have children and risk passing my genes onto them. I have cursed her, by fathering this girl I have cursed her!" Erik ranted, and Christine lifted her finger, pressing it to his lips.

"Don't you dare talk like that. Raoul had our baby girl tossed away because he knew it was a reminder of the love that you and I share. I believe that you will be one of the greatest fathers ever, once you have been given the chance. This girl of ours is your chance, Erik, your chance to prove to yourself that you are more than what you think you are. To see yourself as I see you," She said quietly, framing his face with her hands.

"And what do you see me as?" Erik questioned, and Christine smiled softly.

"A strong, handsome man that can do anything he wants to do; be anything he wants to be,"

"How often do I tell you I love you?" He asked quietly, and Christine hugged him.

"I've known it for fifteen years,"

He hugged her back for a long moment and then stepped back. "You should get back to Raoul,"

"Oh, I know," She said with a sigh, and he touched her cheek.

"I'll go out and try to track down this circus, and I'll send you a message via that bellhop when I find something out."

"All right. I'll try to keep in the loop on Raoul's end," She promised, and with one last glance she swept from the room, heading back to her children. Erik watched her go and then hurried out, with the single intent of finding his daughter, no matter what it took.

**End of the fifth chapter! Poor Erik, he's so worried that he'll be a terrible father, and he hasn't even been given the chance yet! The next chapter will have Erik searching for the little girl, but so will Raoul. It's a deadly race, and Christine is caught in the middle. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you like the story so far!**


	6. On The Search

**Time for chapter 6! Christine will do some more lying to Raoul, while Erik searches for the Rainbow Family traveling circus. The scary part is that Raoul is searching too, just as desperate as Erik is. It's a race against time, and who will come out on top? You'll find out!**

**Enjoy!**

Christine took the children back to the hotel and found Raoul waiting for them, sitting in the living room. "Where did you take them?" He asked, and she smiled, saying,

"Back to Madame Giry's. Meg brought her husband over to meet me and the children, he's a very nice man,"

"That's nice," Raoul said absentmindedly, and Christine continued on, saying,

"Madame Giry said she will watch the children for a night if we want to do a double date out to dinner,"

"That's wonderful," He said vaguely, and Christine looked at him.

"I'm growing a hand out of the back of my head," She said flatly, and he waved his hand, saying,

"Good for you, dear,"

"I'm going to run off and marry a dancing bear that can talk,"

"That's great…wait what?" Raoul was confused, and Christine laughed, perching on the edge of his chair.

"You were drifting off, darling, I was just making things up to see if you were listening,"

"I'm sorry, dear, I was just thinking about what the priest said,"

"And what did he say?"

"It's going to be very difficult to track down that child of yours, apparently he gave her to a traveling circus,"

"Would you like me to ask Madame Giry and Meg if they know about it?" Christine asked, gently stroking the hair out of Raoul's face.

"No, the priest has many people that are looking for the circus as we speak. It's the Rainbow Family traveling circus, what a name," Raoul said dismissively, and Christine laughed.

"It's a circus, darling, what did you expect the name would be?"

"Oh I don't know," Raoul said with a shake of his head.

"What do you say we forget about this whole affair for the rest of the day?" Christine said, tilting Raoul's face up at her.

"By doing what?"

"Let's take the children to the zoo, and then to a show afterward," She said excitedly, and Raoul smiled as he got to his feet.

"Well, let's ask the children," He said, poking his head into the room where the kids were playing. "Children, would you like to spend the rest of the day at the zoo and then go to the show?"

All three children leapt to their feet, yelling, "Yes!"

"Well, I suppose it's settled," Raoul said with a smile as he went to change. Christine got the kids ready and then they all trooped out to the car and headed for the zoo. She prayed that her distraction plan would work and give Erik enough time to find their baby girl. Well, she was no longer a baby, she was a teenager, but she was still theirs. And Christine wanted her back.

Christine kept thinking of things for the family to do while they were in New York, and managed to keep Raoul thoroughly distracted from the real reason that they were in America.

Meanwhile, Erik was on the hunt for the Rainbow Family traveling circus.

It took him nearly a week, but he finally discovered that the circus was making its way to New York, but it was finishing up its last show in Boston. He relayed the information to Christine, asking her to try to find out if Raoul knew anything about it.

After Raoul got a phone call, Christine wrapped her arms around him and asked, "How is the search for that circus with the funny name going?"

Raoul laughed, saying, "It's the Rainbow Family traveling circus, darling,"

"Oh whatever," Christine said, waving her hand, and Raoul laughed again.

"They're going to be in New York in a couple of days, they're traveling from Boston,"

"I suppose it'd be fruitless to try to catch them in Boston," Christine mused, and Raoul nodded.

"Absolutely. My people are going to wait until they get to New York. Well, I feel like celebrating, how about we go out to eat tonight instead of ordering from room service?" He said, and Christine smiled.

"I bet the children will love that,"

With that they went out to dinner, and when they got back and Raoul was in the shower, Christine managed to send a note to Erik, telling him that their only chance was to go to Boston to find the circus before it came to New York.

The following day, Raoul actually had some business to take care of, so Christine took the kids back to Madame Giry's, and slipped into Erik's room.

She saw him fastening his traveling cape on, and saw his bag all packed. "Are you going to Boston?" She asked, and he nodded, saying,

"There isn't any time to waste, you know that,"

"I do, but I thought I was coming with you," Christine said in confusion.

"Christine, you cannot come with me. You have your three children out there to care for. You need to keep them safe from Raoul. Imagine what he would do if you left with me," He said practically, gently placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Yes, you're right," Christine muttered, and Erik pulled her chin up until she was looking at him.

"I will try to send word back once I've found her,"

"How will you know it's her?" Christine whispered, and Erik smiled, saying,

"I'll know. She has my eyes, and I'm sure she looks like you,"

Christine wrapped her arms around Erik and held him tightly for a long moment, and then said quietly, "Be careful, Erik, please,"

"I will, Christine," He said, and then in a flash he was gone. Christine pulled her emotions into check and went back to where the children were playing with Meg.

That evening when Christine returned back to the hotel room, she found Raoul lounging on the couch, reading the newspaper. "Do you remember me telling you about Meg and her husband?" She asked him, and he nodded, glancing up at her. "I was thinking we could do a double date tomorrow night or the next, Madame Giry said she would watch the children for us,"

"That sounds like a plan. Not tomorrow night, the next. Tomorrow night I have a business dinner to attend to, you know those politicians," Raoul said with a shake of his head.

"Oh dear, sounds dreadfully boring," Christine said with a sigh, and Raoul smiled.

"Absolutely."

They talked for a while longer, and then it was time to put the children in bed.

Meanwhile, Erik took a train to Boston and arrived a day later. He casually asked around about the Rainbow Family traveling circus, and discovered that they were breaking camp the following day.

That night he slipped into the circus area after the show and walked around, trying to look as unobservant as he could. He searched through many tents, looking for a teenaged girl, and finally he reached the animal's tent and heard someone shouting.

"Are you that stupid? I knew when I took you in as a baby that you were probably a bastard child, but I thought maybe if I raised you right, you would make me money! But no, you can't even smile for the crowds! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Erik snuck into the tent and saw a young girl cowering as a man was yelling at her. When his fist came down and punched the girl across the face, Erik sprang into action. He grabbed the man's arm and whipped him around, punching him in the face until he fell unconscious.

Then Erik looked around and saw a young girl with long brown hair cowering behind one of the animal cages. "I'm not going to hurt you," Erik said gently, falling to his knees and carefully crawling towards the girl.

"You…you saved me…" She stammered, and then cleared her throat, saying, "Thank you,"

"You're welcome. My name is Erik, what's yours?"

"P-Penelope," The girl said, and then crawled out from behind the animal cage. She looked Erik in the eyes and he gasped, seeing his exact eyes copied onto this beautiful young girl's face. She wasn't disfigured, there wasn't anything wrong with her face. She was just beautiful.

"Penelope…" He breathed, and she looked at him for a long moment before speaking.

"We have the same eyes," She observed, and he nodded, fighting back tears in his own eyes. "Are…are you my father?"

"Yes, sweetheart, and I've come to take you away from this, all of this," He said, holding his arms out. She didn't hesitate as she threw her arms around him and began crying.

"I prayed and prayed every night that you would come," She sobbed, and he stroked the back of her hair gently.

"I'm here, Penelope, I'm here to save you,"

"But where…where's Mother?" She asked, drawing back. Erik wiped her tears away and said,

"She's in New York, I'm going to take you to her. I'll explain everything on the way,"

"Okay," She said shakily, getting to her feet and Erik kept his arm around her as they walked out and quickly left the circus area. They boarded the train to New York together, as father and daughter at last.

**The end of this chapter! And now Erik has found his daughter, and they are going back to be with Christine. But what about Raoul? There's still a bout of danger on the horizon, unfortunately. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you like the story so far!**


	7. Stabbed In The Back

**Chapter 7 is up! Now Erik explains everything to Penelope, including what happened when she was born and what's going on right now. Meanwhile, the Rainbow Family traveling circus is on its way to New York, and Raoul is getting impatient…**

**Enjoy!**

When they were settled on the train, a few seats away from everyone else, Erik turned to Penelope and just looked at her for a long moment. "Are you okay Father?" Penelope asked hesitatingly, and he smiled, reaching out and touching her face.

"Yes, I'm just a bit in shock, that's all,"

"So tell me about Mother," Penelope said with a smile, and Erik leaned back, saying,

"I'll start at the beginning. Your mother was engaged to be married to another man when I knew her in France."

"Who?" Penelope asked curiously, and Erik said hesitatingly,

"His name is Raoul, he's the Vicomte de Chagney in France,"

"Oh. Then how did you and Mother…"

Erik sighed before saying, "I'm not saying I'm proud of this, Penelope, but the night before your mother married she came to me, telling me she still loved me, and that was the night you were conceived."

"But she still married the Vicomte?" Penelope asked, and Erik nodded.

"We were both foolish, I believed she would have a better life with Raoul, and she thought she was doing the right thing. She didn't know she was with child,"

"What happened?"

"She caught scarlet fever, Penelope, and she gave birth amidst her sickness, and the fever damaged her memory, she didn't remember anything after her wedding to the Vicomte,"

"Oh no," Penelope whispered, and Erik reached over and took ahold of her hands.

"After she gave birth, the Victome took you, and saw that you have the same eyes as me. He paid a priest to throw you in the river, but the priest was so guilt-stricken about it he couldn't go through with it. He came to New York and gave you to the Rainbow Family traveling circus,"

"It's a good thing I was a cute baby, otherwise they would've killed me," Penelope murmured, and Erik tightened his grip on her hands.

"What do you mean?"

"When I was growing up and learning how to perform with the elephant, another baby came to them, and when the crowds didn't like it, they…they…"

"They killed the baby, didn't they?" Erik said lowly, and Penelope nodded, burying her face in her hands. He pulled her into his arms and to any passerby, he looked like a father comforting his daughter, which he was.

"Y-yes," She stammered, and then wiped her eyes. "Oh no, what are they going to do to Effie when they find me gone?"

"Effie?"

"The elephant I trained with since I was 5,"

"Ah yes. Will they hurt the elephant?"

"No, but they'll take it out on someone. They all loved me, I was the only one Effie would listen to,"

"They will just have to find someone else," Erik said firmly, not even wanting to think about his daughter going back to that horrible circus, which was basically the same thing as the gypsies that tortured him.

"Father?"

"Yes darling?"

"Why do you wear that mask?" She asked, looking at him with nothing but slight curiosity in her eyes.

"I'll show you later," He murmured, and wrapped his arms around his daughter tightly. The rocking motion of the train soon put her to sleep, and the trip to New York was not nearly as bleak with his daughter, his own flesh and blood, finally safe in his arms.

And Erik knew he'd do anything to keep her that way.

Back in New York, Raoul was preparing for the Rainbow Family traveling circus to come to town. "Oh Raoul, can't someone else go?" Christine pleaded as he was looking for his shoes.

"I'll think about it," He said mysteriously, and Christine just sighed and went to fix the children some lunch. The circus wasn't due in until later in the day, but Raoul wanted to meet with the priest and discuss the girl before they actually went to search the circus.

When the day came to a close, Raoul went to tell the children goodbye while Christine used the bathroom. When she came back out she found the children dressed to leave, and Raoul was standing there with a gun in his hand.

"Raoul!" She shrieked, and he clapped a hand over her mouth.

"You are coming with me, and you are going to watch as I dispose of this devil's spawn," He hissed, and then added, "I will shoot one of the children if you scream, do you understand?"

When she nodded, he let go of her. "Raoul, those are your children!" She said in a horrified whisper, and he looked at her with crazed eyes.

"They share your tainted blood, they are no relatives of mine,"

"But Raoul," Christine tried to reach for him, but he jerked out of reach.

"Do you think me dumb? Or stupid?" He asked, twirling the gun around in his hands.

"No, why?" She exclaimed, and Raoul grabbed her by her hair.

"Meg told me everything. How you've been seeing that…that evil thing, and how you plan to take the child as soon as the circus came to New York. Well, I've seen that that won't happen," He said with a manic grin, and then shoved her towards the door.

"If you try anything, I'll shoot Rebecca," He threatened, pulling the girl close to him. She began to cry, and Christine gently touched her face with shaking hands, saying,

"It's going to be okay, Becca," She then strode out, headed to the car outside with her boys' hands in hers. They got in the car and headed to the Rainbow Family traveling circus compound.

When they pulled up, the priest was already there, talking to one of the men that worked there. When Raoul, Christine and the children came up, the priest had an odd look on his face.

"What? What have you discovered?" Raoul demanded, while Christine closed her eyes and prayed that Erik had reached the circus in time and that their daughter was safe in his protection.

"I'm sorry, Vicomte, a teenaged girl that was raised in this circus ran away last night before they came here," The priest said, and Christine recognized disguised joy in his voice, though he covered it with sorrow.

"You lie!" Raoul roared, pulling his gun and putting it to the priest's head.

"N-no, Vicomte, I-I s-swear," The priest stammered, and the man who worked at the circus had his hands up, saying,

"Yeah, the girl left after the boss yelled at her for not smiling during the last performance,"

Raoul took a few deep breaths and then turned to Christine. "You orchestrated this, didn't you?"

"Raoul, I don't…"

"Didn't you!?" Raoul all but screamed, getting in Christine's face. "Our lives would have been perfect, just perfect if you hadn't gone to that thing the night before our wedding!"

"That 'thing' loves me more than you ever could!" Christine yelled right back, and Raoul whipped the gun across her face. She fell backwards with a cry, and hit the ground hard.

"Mama!" Marcus cried out as Alexander kneeled next to her. Rebecca was still in her father's grasp though she struggled to go to her mother.

"Let me go, Father, please," Becca whimpered, and Raoul let out a noise of disgust and shoved her towards the feebly stirring Christine.

"Vicomte, why this sudden change?" The priest asked slowly, remembering the kind and gentle Raoul he used to know.

"Change? What change?" Raoul laughed harshly. "I've been this way for years, all this anger inside me, married to a woman who will never love me back, fathering children that were worthless, no I never changed. I just wore a mask, and I've decided it is high time that that mask comes off, and everyone can see the real, true Vicomte de Chagny!"

As Raoul was going on his rant, the man who worked on the circus turned to another man and muttered, "Run and tell the boss what's going on, and then run for the police. This guy's a madman and he's going to kill everyone here if someone doesn't stop him,"

"Okay," The second man replied, and ran off when Raoul's back was turned. They hadn't quite reached the compound yet, so it was just Raoul, Christine, their children, the priest and the man who worked for the circus.

Meanwhile, Erik and Penelope had returned to Madame Giry's, and heard her yelling at her daughter. "Madame Giry?" Erik asked as he was on his way to his secret room.

"You must go!" She gasped when she saw him, and then saw his daughter.

"What has happened?" He demanded, and she pointed at her daughter.

"She has been telling Raoul everything, he knows it all, that Christine has been consorting with you to get your daughter back, that she has been faking and lying to him all this time, everything,"

"Meg, how could you?" Erik said lowly, and Meg leapt to her feet.

"Because I've loved you for all these years, and you won't even look at me because of Christine! She doesn't deserve you!"

"And you think you do? After what you've done?" Erik replied, his voice filled with contempt, and he grabbed Penelope and quickly left the house, his destination the compound where the Rainbow Family circus was going to reside while they stayed in New York. The circus always stayed in the same place, so Penelope knew where it was.

"Is Mother in danger?" She asked quietly as they hurried along the streets, and Erik nodded, saying,

"Yes she is,"

**Will Erik get there in time? What happens if he doesn't? What happens if he does? There is about to be a big showdown, so you'll see in the next chapter. Oh, and the next chapter will be the final one in this story. Thanks so much for reading this second-to-last chapter and I hope you like this story so far!**


	8. It's All Over

**Welcome to chapter 8, and the final chapter of this story! This chapter starts with Erik and Penelope hurrying to save Christine and the children, and you'll find out whether they get there in time, and what happens after that. Prepare yourself for a big showdown!**

**Enjoy!**

Erik and Penelope rushed towards the Rainbow Family circus compound, and as they drew close they could hear Raoul shouting,

"I've been this way for years, all this anger inside me, married to a woman who will never love me back, fathering children that were worthless, no I never changed. I just wore a mask, and I've decided it is high time that that mask comes off, and everyone can see the real, true Vicomte de Chagny!"

Erik ducked behind a tent and glanced at the scene that was unfolding. He saw Christine lying on the ground with her three children kneeling around her, trying to get her to wake up. His heart immediately stopped, not knowing whether Raoul had killed her or not.

Then he saw the gun that Raoul was waving around, and while his heart shattered, he barely felt it as all-consuming rage filled him. He glanced back at Penelope and turned to her, saying urgently,

"You must stay here, Penelope, do you understand me?"

"But I want to help!" She insisted, and Erik shook his head.

"I know you do, but Raoul has a gun and he wants you dead more than anything else. If he sees you, he will kill you. Do you understand?"

"Yes Father," Penelope said, sounding a little frightened. Erik hated scaring her, but he knew that her fear would keep her in place more than anything else.

Erik snuck back around the tent and managed to get close to Raoul. He waited for a single moment and then leapt onto his back, yanking the gun out of his hands and tossing it aside. Both men went down to the ground and rolled around, punching and kicking at each other for a few moments and then Erik hauled Raoul to his feet.

"Put away your lasso, Phantom, we're going to battle this out like real men," Raoul hissed, putting up his bare fists.

"No swords Vicomte?" Erik taunted, and Raoul growled,

"No, we will use our fists, nothing more. See who is the better man,"

"Fine by me," Erik said, spreading his arms wide as Raoul went to tackle him. Erik sidestepped him just in time, and Raoul went sailing past him. Erik spun around and his fist cracked against Raoul's cheek, and he spat, "That was for trying to kill my daughter,"

Raoul came rushing at him with a roar of fury, and Erik grabbed onto his fists. They struggled against each other for a long moment and then Raoul got the upper hand and punched Erik hard in the stomach. "That was for keeping my wife's love from me," He gasped, and Erik straightened before flying at Raoul and again the two men fell to the ground.

"Do you really think it was I who kept your wife's love from you? Look in the mirror before you start blaming others for your problems," Erik snapped, and Raoul screamed in anger as his hands closed around Erik's throat and he squeezed mercilessly.

"This is all your fault!" Raoul bellowed, and Erik grabbled with him, trying to shove him off, but it wasn't working. He was losing oxygen and he was about to pass out when suddenly Raoul was gone. Erik sat up and saw Christine standing there, having kicked Raoul hard in the side and shoved him off of Erik.

"Are you okay?" She gasped, kneeling next to Erik.

"Yes, I…I thought he killed you," Erik said, reaching out and touching her cheek. He saw Raoul getting to his feet and Christine helped pull him to his feet. "Go look behind the tent, Penelope is waiting for you," Erik whispered, and then stepped over to Raoul to continue the fight.

Christine followed his instructions and took the rest of the children behind the tent. There stood a teenaged girl that nearly bolted when she saw Christine and the three kids appear. "Are you Penelope?" Christine asked in a quavering voice, as she knew this girl was her daughter. Call it whatever you want, but she knew.

"Yes. Are you my mother?" Penelope asked, and Christine nodded, opening her arms. Penelope flung herself into them and Christine held her gently and rocked her, tears coming from both mother and daughter's eyes.

"Oh Penelope," Christine sighed, holding her daughter close. "I am so sorry,"

Just then a cackling laugh could be heard from behind them, and Christine whipped around to see Raoul standing there, bruised and bloody but he had his gun in his hand. "Well, well, well, here's Little Miss Bastard," Raoul drawled, and Christine quickly put all the children behind her.

"Don't be crude, Raoul," Christine said, and Raoul just laughed again.

"Fine, how about Devil's Child?"

"Raoul…" Christine began to say, but Raoul just pulled the gun up and cocked it, aiming it directly at Christine's forehead.

"Now you've got a choice here, Christine, just like before. I can either shoot you right here and then I'll leave this devil's spawn to her father, or you can step aside, I'll kill the girl and we can go back to our lives."

"How do I know you won't just kill her anyways?" Christine said quietly, and Raoul thought about that.

"I guess you don't. You'll just have to trust me, won't you?"

"I suppose I don't have a choice when you're the one holding the gun," She said carefully, and Raoul laughed.

"Very astute, Christine. Now, this is the point of no return. Make your choice!" Raoul shouted, and Christine drew herself up tall.

"Fine. Shoot me, but leave my children alone," She said, meeting Raoul's eyes with no hint of fear.

"Your choice," Raoul said with a shrug and put the barrel against her forehead. Christine closed her eyes and explicably thought of Erik before a shot rang out.

BANG!

Christine expected to feel something, like the shot or the pain, but she didn't feel anything. She opened her eyes and found herself still standing there, but Raoul was on the ground, bleeding from the gunshot wound in the back of his head. She raised her eyes up to see the police standing there, one of them with his gun raised. Erik was standing with them, tears in his eyes.

"Erik!" She sobbed, throwing herself into his waiting arms. The children surrounded them and eventually were included in the hug.

After a while, an officer came up to Christine and took her statement. She told them everything, from the night before the wedding and the scarlet fever to Raoul's behavior and how he'd gone completely insane the past few weeks.

Eventually they ended up in the hotel room, Erik, Christine, Penelope, Alexander, Rebecca and Marcus. Christine explained to Alexander, Rebecca and Marcus everything that had happened, and they were heartbroken over their father's actions.

"Is the nightmare finally over Mama?" Marcus asked, curled in his mother's arms.

"Yes, baby, it's over. It's all over," Christine said soothingly, kissing Marcus' forehead but looking at all of her children. Then Penelope began telling them fun stories from her days as a circus performer, and they went into one of the bedrooms to play a game.

"Why didn't you shoot Raoul yourself?" Christine asked, looking up at her Angel of Music.

"I couldn't cause another death. I couldn't have that on my conscience, not another one, not even one who deserved death like Raoul. I'm a changed man, Christine, all because of you," He said with a half-smile, and she stretched up to kiss him.

"I love you," She sighed, and he cupped her face.

"Then marry me,"

Christine was silent for a moment, and then said, "What?"

"Will you marry me, Christine?" Erik said clearly, and Christine threw her arms around her neck.

"Of course I will, Erik, but I have to wait at least a few months for mourning, even if I'm not grieving Raoul's death the children will, for their sake we have to wait," She pleaded, and he nodded.

"I'll wait forever for you, my darling," He whispered, and she smiled as she heard the children laughing in the other room. She was with the man she truly loved, and she had her four beautiful children.

Life couldn't get much better.

True to her word, Christine and Erik married six months later in America, and eventually they both became American citizens, along with their four children. Christine had a bit of a singing career in the American opera, with Erik writing many operas. Penelope grew up to be an activist for many organizations, Alexander became a lawyer, Rebecca followed her mother's footsteps and became a famous singer, and Marcus grew up to become a successful banker.

And one day when both Christine and Erik had grown to be very old, they wrapped their arms around each other and passed away peacefully in their sleep, gone to Heaven to sing their beautiful music of the night together for eternity.

**And that is the end of this story! I really hope all of you enjoyed reading this story, and thank you so much for sticking with me to the end, even though I did neglect this story a lot. Your reviews gave me the inspiration to finish this story, and finally we've made it to the end! Again, thank you so much for reading!**


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